“As I learned more about the incredible financial burden on families who just want to give their children what they need to thrive, it shook me to my core.” – Caroline Copp
Meet Caroline, you can call her Cal!
You may recognize Cal from any one of our Barrie, Ontario locations! Cal has lived in Barrie for 27 years, is a Habs fan, a mother of 3, and has been with St. Louis for nearly 11 years! Cal and her local St. Louis fundraising teams have shown admirable dedication to our annual autism awareness campaign. Her care and compassion for the cause are an inspiration to us …but we’ll let Cal take it from here!
Why does Shining Through and autism awareness mean so much
to me?
Honestly, I really didn’t know much about autism when I joined St. Louis. My 3 children were not affected by it, so I was never exposed to it until I had a really good conversation with my friend Heather, who I met while she worked for St Louis. Her son is on the spectrum and hearing about the difficulties she was having really spoke to me. As I learned more about the incredible financial burden on families who just want to give their children what they need to thrive, it shook me to my core. I tried to attend every fundraiser to learn more and also was able to visit the Shining Through facility in Woodbridge, which really demonstrated what was entailed and what was sorely needed. That was when I felt that whatever needed to be done to raise the most funds possible, had to happen.
What do we do to fundraise?
First off, we take every opportunity to fundraise. At first it was little bits and pieces. The game changer was our first Bowl-A-Thon for Shining Through 4 years ago. It was suggested by a regular at the Dunlop location who knew the manager of the local bowling alley. I knew we were onto something and from Year 2 to last year, we nearly doubled the funds raised from this one event! Things are extra tricky this year and it will be no easy task, but we are doing everything we can to raise the most possible. I am pretty tough on the fundraising teams, but they get it and put up with me! St. Louis really cares about giving back even with all the hardship this year has brought us. We said it 4 or so years back at one of the St. Louis fundraising events that “it takes a village” to make a difference and it really does.
We are already planning our fundraisers for next year. Our golf tournaments are booked and I think our Annual Bowl-A-Thon will be our biggest yet. We are also considering a 2021 Dance-A-Thon!
Why did I get a puzzle piece tattoo?
To remind me that all we leave behind in this world is what we have given and not what we have received.
On a side note
My mother is a retired piano teacher. When Heather’s son expressed an interest in learning to play classical piano, Heather reached out to me. My mother came out of retirement to teach Iain. She had never in her decades-long career taught a student with autism, yet Iain has become her pride and joy as a student – perhaps even the pinnacle of her teaching career! It’s not about what children with autism can’t do but rather, what they can do. Iain will be attending university next September ?
